We have a right to protect ourselves

First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that were affected by the recent shootings in Connecticut. There are no words to describe how horrific this act was and I will not give the perpetrator any acknowledgment for what he did.

Of course, this act is bringing up the continuing issue of gun control. Everyone has their own thoughts and ideas on this issue and all are entitled to them.

Having said that, I am going to voice my opinion:

Some are saying we should train and arm someone at our schools, hospitals, malls, etc. with guns. Some are saying we should take away everyone's right to bear arms. I believe when we take away the right of law-abiding American Citizens to bear arms, then the only citizens that will be bearing arms are the criminals who should never have been allowed to bear arms in the first place. As we all know, there is no way to control guns from getting into the wrong person's hands. Gun control or not, the criminals and evil-minded people will always find a way to obtain them and use them for evil. The law abiding citizens of our nation are at war with the criminals, drug dealers and others, whose only intent is to harm innocent people. Shouldn't we have the right to protect ourselves and our families? The city streets of Marion are getting more and more dangerous, and that is just Marion, Ohio. Evil-minded people are running rampant in our nation, not even taking a moment to consider how their acts will affect others. They want the fame that goes with their name being acknowledged forever for their senseless acts.

As a law-abiding American citizen, I should have the right to protect myself against these perpetrators of criminal acts. If someone in that school had been trained and was armed, just maybe this scene would have played out a very different way. Emphasis on "trained." That doesn't mean that just anyone should be allowed to arm themselves in schools or other public buildings. If I had children in school, I would feel much better knowing that someone would at least have a chance to take a shot at the bad guys. Let's face it folks, the evildoers aren't going anywhere. It's us against them and we had better step up and exercise our rights as decent law-abiding American Citizens, which also means watching out for our neighbors, friends and strangers as we go about our daily lives. We must join hands - it is us against them.

Terri Mahle

Marion

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We have a right to protect ourselves

First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that were affected by the recent shootings in Connecticut.